Vancouver Canucks: Redrafting the 2009 NHL Draft

Round 1 – 22nd Overall

Original Pick: C Jordan Schroeder
New Pick: C Ryan O’Reilly (33rd to COL)
Honorable Mentions: F Marcus Johansson (24th to WSH), W Alex Chicasson (38th to DAL), W Jakob Silfverberg (39th to OTT)

The 2008 draft triggered a disappointing story about a center who never lived up to the hype (Cody Hodgson), a winger who spent more time in Vancouver but never lived up to his potential either (Zack Kassian), and a Canucks team that doesn’t have either anymore. A similar story, yet even worse, came along with the 2009 draft, when the Vancouver Canucks proudly selected the No. 5 ranked North American skater — center Jordan Schroeder.

Schroeder was a standout in the USNTDP and the NCAA, and he was and still is a great AHL scorer. However, the undersized forward — listed at 5-foot-9 and 176 pounds — never managed to stick around in the NHL. After four years with the Canucks and their AHL affiliates, Vancouver chose not to qualify Schroeder as a restricted free agent, letting him walk for no compensation. Schroeder chose the Minnesota Wild and is continuing where he left off in Vancouver.

In 75 games for the Iowa Wild, Schroeder recorded 24 goals and 62 points. Thanks to injury struggles in Minnesota, he got some NHL time as well, but only recorded five goals and 12 points in 51 games. Unfortunately, Schroeder is the typical “top-six or nothing” player, mainly due to his size, so he likely won’t become a full-time NHL player at all.

The Canucks could have had it so much easier, had they picked Ryan O’Reilly or Marcus Johansson instead. The former became a leader in Colorado and was only let go because of his crazy contract demands while the latter is still a top-six player with the team that drafted him — the Washington Capitals. O’Reilly is one of the best two-way centers in the NHL and had 60 points in 71 games on a bad Buffalo Sabres squad in 2015-16.

Next: Round 2